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Principal Of Elementary School In NYC Charged With Punching, Kicking 7-Year-Old Boy

An elementary school principal in Brooklyn, New York is facing criminal charges after he allegedly punched and kicked a 7-year-old boy who suffers from ADHD.

According to the New York Daily News, Machael Spencer-Edwards (pictured), the 42-year-old principal of public school 202 in East New York was captured on video assaulting Hasheem Welch, 7, a special needs student at the elementary school.

Shema McKenzie, Welch’s mother, told the Daily News that her son came home on the afternoon of March 13, 2017 with a swollen face and bruises on his torso. McKenzie was shocked to see her son’s injuries and notified law enforcement after seeing them. A month-long investigation of the incident then ensued.

“I sent my son to school to learn. I didn’t send my son to get beat up by an adult, especially by the principal who’s supposed to be caring for these children,” she continued.

Hasheem Welch

On this past Tuesday (April 18th), police in New York City arrested Spencer-Edwards for misdemeanor assault and endangering the welfare of a child. The disgraced school administrator was later released on his own recognizance after a subsequent arraignment hearing.

The Daily News also reported that Spencer-Edwards will continue to receive his six-figure salary as a high school principal pending the outcome of his case. However, he is not permitted to report to work or be around children while his case remains ongoing.

Sources close to the school where Spencer-Edwards worked have claimed that he has been very problematic in the past. “That principal has issues,” said Israel Cofield, 31. Cofield has two sons that attend PS 202. “He puts his hands on kids, talks out of line. It’s not right,” Cofield also told the daily news.

Spencer-Edwards faces a year or more in jail if he is convicted of the offenses he is charged with.